Preliminary review. After the manuscript is registered, the editorial office will conduct a preliminary review on the topic selection, innovation, academic quality, writing quality, Submission Statement and the completeness of relevant information. Any manuscripts deemed unsuitable for publication will be rejected directly.
Peer review. This journal adopts single-blind peer review system. All original articles are subject to strict peer review organized by the editorial office who will select two or more reviewers with relevant expertise. In order to ensure fairness, accuracy and timeliness of peer review, authors can name experts (generally no more than 2) who shall avoid reviewing the manuscript, and can also recommend reviewers. All reviewers recommended by authors will be included in the reviewer list of the journal and become candidate reviewers of that manuscript.
Secondary review and final review. After the peer review, the manuscript and its peer review comments will be sent to the editorial board members of relevant fields for secondary review. The journal will regularly convene the final review meeting, and makes final decision with reference to peer review comments and editorial board review opinions. The acceptance of the manuscript is finally decided by the editorial board members through collective discussion.
Notification. No matter whether the manuscript is accepted or not, the journal will inform the author through the submission system and email as soon as possible. Authors can log in to the system to check the status at any time, or check E-mail frequently (authors can add our WeChat official account to check the process of manuscripts at any time, and get WeChat notification at the first time). In case of no notification from the journal within 3 months from the date of submission, authors have right to re-submit to other journals, but please send a letter to the editorial office before re-submitting.
Submission by Editors or Editorial Board members
The editorial staff, editors, or editorial board members should not be involved in publishing decisions on papers that they have written themselves or that have been written by their family members or colleagues. Any such submission should be strictly subject to the journal’s usual editorial process. Peer review should be handled independently of the relevant author/editor and their research groups.
Appeal
Authors may appeal if they disagree with the reviewer comments. To do so, they must write an appeal letter (including the manuscript serial number) and send it to prog@ibp.ac.cn. The letter must provide detailed reasons for the appeal, including a comprehensive and well-reasoned response to the reviewers’ comments. The editorial office will review each appeal on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the decision should be reconsidered.
